US8793114B2 - Method and system for drilling rig testing using virtualized components - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and system dynamically generates virtualized configurations of sensors and signals used in drilling system equipment. The virtualized configurations may be used for novel operational testing of automation systems on drilling rigs. The methods and systems may be configured to virtualize actual drill floor equipment in order to have enhanced fault coverage of the automation systems. A control network that is a component of the automation systems may implement a testing loop that accommodates virtualized equipment in a manner substantially similar to actual equipment. In this manner, the testing loop may be configured to control elements specific to the equipment under control, and generate testing results for those specific control elements.

Description

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/428,165, filed Dec. 29, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to drilling rig testing with virtualized components and, more particularly, to drilling system modeling and fault prediction using virtualization of equipment in a drilling rig control network.

2. Description of the Related Art

On modern oil and gas well drilling rigs, automation systems have been developed to enhance safety, for example, by removing as many people as possible from the drill floor. The automation systems result in additional components and interfaces that are potential sources of failure. During operational testing of the drilling rig, testing and verification of the automation systems, therefore, represents an important aspect for obtaining a high level of reliability and safety. Since the automation systems may effectively be in control of most of the mechanical and electronic equipment, conventional testing of drilling rig automation systems may be constrained by the ability to physically implement a large number of desired operational scenarios.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of selected elements of an embodiment of a prior art drilling rig system;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of selected elements of an embodiment of a drilling rig test system architecture;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of selected elements of an embodiment of a drilling rig test system controller;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of selected elements of an embodiment of a drilling rig test system;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of selected elements of an embodiment of a drilling rig test system network;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of selected elements of an embodiment of a drilling rig test system;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of selected elements of an embodiment of a state model representing a drilling rig test system;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of selected elements of an embodiment of a method for optimizing a drilling rig test system; and

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of selected elements of an embodiment of a method for optimizing a drilling rig test system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S)

Disclosed herein is a method and system for dynamically generating virtualized configurations of sensors and signals used in drilling system equipment. The virtualized configurations may be used for novel operational testing of automation systems on drilling rigs. The methods and systems described herein may be configured to virtualize actual drill floor equipment in order to have enhanced fault coverage of the automation systems. A control network that is a component of the automation systems may implement a testing loop that accommodates virtualized equipment in a manner substantially similar to actual equipment. In this manner, the testing loop may be configured to control elements specific to the equipment under control, and generate testing results for those specific control elements, as will be described in further detail herein.

Based on extensive industry experience, it has been better understood that the drilling rig physical equipment may often function correctly mechanically, hydraulically and even electrically. However, certain sensors, signals, programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and software, which represent individual elements in the control network, may exhibit errors that are hard to detect and difficult to distinguish from physical equipment failures. Even when a zone management system is present to prevent fault conditions between various pieces of equipment, certain unforeseen fault states may still be attainable by the drilling rig control network, which may represent an undesired source of operational and safety risk on the drilling rig.

In order to effectively test the control network, more extensive testing may be accomplished by virtualizing mechanical components of the drilling rig, which may allow for greater scrutiny of sensors, signals and control software by enabling the implementation of a greater number of operational scenarios during testing. A number of advantages may be realized through virtualizing the mechanical components of the drilling rig during testing. Since the virtualized equipment is not physically manipulated, operational costs of testing may be reduced, while potential damage to actual equipment as a result of testing errors or desired fault scenarios may be prevented.

It is noted that the systems and methods described herein may be used for testing automation systems on drilling rigs with or without virtualization of drilling rig equipment. In various embodiments, actual drilling rig equipment may be used for a range of testing scenarios, without relying on virtualization of components. In other instances, combinations of virtualized equipment and actual equipment may be implemented using the drilling rig testing systems described herein.

Throughout this disclosure, a hyphenated form of a reference numeral refers to a specific instance of an element and the un-hyphenated form of the reference numeral refers to the element generically or collectively. Thus, for example, widget 12-1 refers to an instance of a widget class, which may be referred to collectively as widgets 12 and any one of which may be referred to generically as a widget 12.

Turning now to the figures,FIG. 1 shows selected elements of prior artdrilling rig system100 are depicted in block diagram form. Prior artdrilling rig system100 is shown including drillingrig equipment108, representing the physical drilling components and infrastructure.Instrumentation106 represents sensors, power supplies, signal conditioning and related electronics, along with their associated interfaces and connections, as well as executable code (i.e., software).Instrumentation106 may communicate withdrilling rig equipment108 viaequipment control signals116. Also shown in prior artdrilling rig system100 is supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA)/control logic104, which may represent PLCs, computer systems, networks, storage systems, etc. SCADA/control logic104 may represent intelligent control ofinstrumentation106 and drillingrig equipment108, and may communicate withinstrumentation106 via SCADAcontrol signals114. Human machine interface (HMI)102 may represent a top layer of prior artdrilling rig system100 that provides for operator command and control throughHMI control signals112 that may communicate with SCADA/control logic104.

As noted previously, during an initial operational testing of prior artdrilling rig system100, many sources of faults may be present in SCADA/control logic104, SCADAcontrol signals114,instrumentation106, andequipment control signals116. However, since drillingrig equipment108 is physically installed, the number of test scenarios that are available may be limited and may constrain an ability of a test system to detect fault sources. For example, certain operational scenarios that may uncover new fault states may only be attainable through actual manipulation and operation of physical equipment (rather than through simulation), risking damage to both the physical equipment and the safety of personnel. Since the remediation costs for equipment damage are often economically prohibitive, operational testing of prior artdrilling rig system100 is often restricted to relatively ‘safe’ and, therefore, routine types of potential faults, errors, and alarms, which may not be predictive of actual operational conditions or certain catastrophic failures. Therefore, thorough and effective operational testing (i.e., testing that provides a high degree of confidence in operational integrity for a wide range of operational states) of prior artdrilling rig system100 may be prohibitively expensive or impossible, due to risks and costs associated with actually attaining a number of highly relevant and possible fault scenarios to determine their effects on various pieces of equipment and the system as a whole. As a result, prior artdrilling rig system100 may typically be operated in a condition that still includes very real risks of equipment damage and personnel injury.

Referring now toFIG. 2, selected elements of an embodiment ofdrilling rig system200, incorporating drillingrig test system220, according to the methods described herein, are presented in block diagram form. Drillingrig test system220 may represent a novel embodiment configured to use virtualized equipment, as will be described in detail herein. As shown inFIG. 2,drilling rig system200 may includeHMI202, which communicates viaHMI control signals212 with SCADA/control logic204. SCADA/control logic204 may, in turn, communicate with drillingrig test system220 via SCADAcontrol signals214.

InFIG. 2, drillingrig test system220 may includetest instrumentation222, which may serve to interface to physical equipment via SCADAcontrol signals214 and provide signals forequipment virtualization216, as desired. Virtualdrilling rig equipment224 andvirtual test scenarios218 may represent virtualized components that behave similar to actual components from the perspective of SCADA/control logic204. In this manner,test system controller226 may be used to execute a wide range of test scenarios for operational testing ofdrilling rig system200.

In operation,test system controller226 may generatevirtual test scenarios218, that may include virtual and/or actual equipment.Virtual test scenarios218 may incorporate a model based on a particular design of the drilling rig. The model may be implemented with model objects representing drilling rig equipment, both real and virtual (see alsoFIGS. 4,6).Virtual test scenarios218 may represent a series of automatic or manual test operations that are implemented within a context of a state model for the drilling rig (see alsoFIG. 7), which provides the ability to simulate both real and virtual components of the drilling rig in various operational scenarios. Then, SCADA/control logic204 and HMI202 may be used to perform operational tasks, such as executing standard startup or other procedures.Test system controller226 may generate alarms that are registered by HMI202. It is also noted that test results may be recorded to protocol testing procedures and for debugging or failure source analysis.

Referring now toFIG. 3, selected elements of an embodiment oftest system controller226, according to the methods described herein, are presented in block diagram form.Test system controller226 may represent a novel computing platform configured to implement simulation and virtualization of operational drilling rig testing, as described in detail herein.

In the embodiment depicted inFIG. 3,test system controller226 includesprocessor302 coupled via sharedbus301 to storage media collectively identified asmemory media310.Test system controller226, as depicted inFIG. 3, further includesnetwork adapter304 that may interfacetest system controller226 to a network (not shown inFIG. 3, seeFIG. 5). In embodiments suitable for use with the methods and systems described herein,test system controller226, as depicted inFIG. 3, may be coupled vianetwork adapter304 to test instrumentation222 (seeFIG. 2) and drilling rig testsystem knowledge base306. Machine readable knowledge bases, such as drilling rig testsystem knowledge base306, store knowledge in a computer readable form for the purpose of automated deductive reasoning. The computer readable form may be a set of rules that describe the knowledge in a logically consistent manner. An ontology may define the structure of stored data, including types of entities recorded and relationships between entities. Logical operators, such as ‘and’ (conjunction), ‘or’ (disjunction), material implication and negation, among other examples, may be used to build knowledge from simpler pieces of information. Accordingly, classical deduction may also be used to reason about the knowledge in the knowledge base.

Although not explicitly shown inFIG. 3,test system controller226 may also include a peripheral adapter, which provides connectivity for the use of input devices and output devices. Input devices may include a device for user input, such as a keyboard or a mouse, or even a video camera. Output devices may include a device for providing signals or indications to a user, such as loudspeakers for generating audio signals.

Test system controller226 may also include a display adapter and further include a display device or, more simply, a display (not shown inFIG. 3). The display adapter may interface sharedbus301, or another bus, with an output port for one or more displays. The display may be implemented as a liquid crystal display screen, a computer monitor, a television or the like. The display may comply with a display standard for computer monitors and/or television displays. Standards for computer monitors include analog standards such as video graphics array (VGA), extended graphics array (XGA), etc., or digital standards such as digital visual interface (DVI) and high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), among others. A television display may comply with standards such as National Television System Committee (NTSC), phase alternating line (PAL), or another suitable standard. The display may include one or more integrated speakers to play audio content.

InFIG. 3,memory media310 encompasses persistent and volatile media, fixed and removable media, and magnetic and semiconductor media.Memory media310 is operable to store instructions, data, or both.Memory media310 as shown includes sets or sequences of instructions, including virtual rig equipment configuration312, stimulus/response logic314,fault injection316,test result analysis318,test scenario engine320, and test alarm handling322, which are described in further detail below.Memory media310 may also include an operating system (not shown inFIG. 3), which may be a UNIX or UNIX-like operating system, a Windows® family operating system, or another suitable operating system.

As shown inFIG. 3, virtual rig equipment configuration312 may represent executable code (i.e., a software module) having functionality for providing virtual equipment and implementing virtual equipment in virtual test scenarios218 (seeFIG. 2). Thus, virtual rig equipment configuration312 may provide functionality for retrieving model objects, for example, from drilling rig testsystem knowledge base306, and introducing them into a state model based on a design for the drilling rig. The design may be an actual design, a reference design, or a virtual design, as will be described in further detail below. Also shown inFIG. 3 is stimulus/response logic314, which may be used to define internal functionality of particular model objects representing drilling rig equipment and/or external functionality of particular model objects with respect to one another. Examples of internal stimulus/response logic314 may be a response of an actuator to a control signal provided bytest instrumentation222 or a defined logical action in response to receiving a given sensor input. An example of external functionality is a zone management response, which represents stimulus/response logic314 for different drilling rig elements for a particular location in the drilling rig (i.e., a zone).

InFIG. 3,fault injection316 may represent executable code that provides functionality for introducing faults, or error conditions, into the state model.Fault injection316 may provide valuable insights into otherwise hidden characteristics of the state model (and hence the actual drilling rig) by enabling the visualization of results of a failure of a given drilling rig element.Fault injection316 may provide the ability to introduce faults that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to generate on the actual (i.e., physical) drilling rig using the drilling rig control system. Accordingly,virtual test scenarios218 may specify particular faults generated usingfault injection316. Further shown inFIG. 3,test scenario engine320 may represent an execution environment for test scenarios, includingvirtual test scenarios218. In certain embodiments,test scenario engine320 may receive as input a test scenario, which specifies various conditions and parameters for execution. The test scenario executable bytest scenario engine320 may include a test script of specific actions to take and test results that are to be evaluated. The test scenario executable bytest scenario engine320 may include internal logic for performing actions depending on a result of a particular test or for adhering to a given state model for the drilling rig (see alsoFIG. 7). The test scenario executable bytest scenario engine320 may be performed by manual execution (i.e., under operator control), by automatic execution (i.e., under processor control), or a combination thereof. In addition to test results that may be generated and logged bytest scenario engine320, alarms and/or other types of notifications may be generated for logging and/or reporting to an operator, either local or remote.

Also inFIG. 3,test result analysis318 may represent executable code that provides functionality for analyzing test results generated bytest scenario engine320.Test result analysis318 may analyze logged test results or test results generated in real time.Test result analysis318 may further generate suggestions for virtual drilling rig elements based on an analysis of test results, in order to improve or increase test coverage. In this manner,test result analysis318 may support an iterative or recursive process for virtualized drilling rig testing to arrive at an optimal configuration for the drilling rig. Further inFIG. 3 is test alarm handling322, which may represent executable code for generating, dispatching, and deactivating alarms in the drilling rig test system. It is noted thattest result analysis318 may also generate new alarms for handling by test alarm handling322, based on the analysis of test results performed. Alarms and messages processed by test alarm handling322 may be specific to a given piece of drilling rig equipment (either real or virtual) or to a particular subcomponent or subsystem.

Turning now toFIG. 4, a block diagram of selected elements of an embodiment of drillingrig control system400 is depicted. The elements depicted in drillingrig control system400 may be representative of particular subsystems of a semi-submersible drilling rig and are shown without internal details for descriptive clarity. It is noted that, in various embodiments, drillingrig control system400 may be implemented with various elements for different uses, such as a land rig, for example. Shown centrally coupled to other elements, SCADA/control logic204 represents a main controller for the drilling rig and may generate SCADA control signals214 to interface with the exemplary elements shown in drilling rig control system400 (see alsoFIG. 2). It is noted that SCADA/control logic204 is associated withHMI204, which may provide an operator interface for controlling drillingrig control system400. Elements depicted in drillingrig control system400 may also represent model objects, or categories of model objects, that are used to implement a state model of a drilling rig (see alsoFIG. 7).

InFIG. 4, drilling drives410 may represent equipment for powering the drill bit using either variable speed drives and/or variable frequency drives. Riser tensioning412 may represent equipment for controlling a tension of the catenary riser in a desired manner.Drill floor414 may represent various drilling equipment around the drilling derrick, including a riser catwalk, a floor monkey, a pipe handler, draw works, guide arms, a top drive, power slips, a rotary table, trolleys, tongs, a stand building, and finger boards, among others (see alsoFIG. 6).Video monitoring416 may represent closed-circuit television monitoring of video cameras on the drilling rig as well as video feeds from subsea cameras. Bulk solids control418 may represent equipment for adding/removing solids to/from drilling mud and other drilling fluids, such as cement.Cement control420 may represent equipment for mixing, storing and pumping down hole cement, which may comprise various specialized formulations.Mud control422 may represent equipment for mixing, storing and pumping drilling mud.Drilling control424 may represent equipment for controlling and switching drilling machinery. Safety andautomation430 may represent equipment for handling anchors, load and stability, including dynamic positioning systems that may include gyroscopes, positioning sensors, etc.Power management434 may represent equipment for power generation, power distribution, and emergency/backup power supplies.Communication432 may represent equipment for telecommunications and computer networking, including wireless communication links that may be terrestrial or extra-terrestrial (e.g., satellite links).Catenary riser426 may represent equipment associated with the drill string between the drilling rig and the ocean floor.Blowout preventer428 may represent equipment for securing the wellhead at the ocean floor in case of loss of control of material flowing through the well.

Turning now toFIG. 5, a block diagram of selected elements of an embodiment of drillingrig control system500 is depicted. The elements depicted in drillingrig control system500 may be representative of particular subsystems of a land drilling rig and are shown without internal details for descriptive clarity. It is noted that, in various embodiments, drillingrig control system500 may be implemented with various elements for different uses, such as a semi-submersible rig, for example. Drillingrig control system500 is shown withcontrol network501, which interfaces respective PLCs510 that control individual elements. PLCs510 may also include sensor and input/output interfaces (not shown inFIG. 5) that provide connectivity to desired interfaces. It is further noted that, in certain embodiments, drilling rig control system400 (seeFIG. 4) may also includecontrol network501 and PLCs510 to connect various elements.Control network501 may be any of a number of different types of networks, including wired, wireless, and optical networks, or various combinations thereof. Shown centrally coupled to other elements, SCADA/control logic204 represents a main controller for the drilling rig and may generate SCADA control signals214 using PLC510-1 and/or network communications viacontrol network501 to interface with the exemplary elements shown in drilling rig control system500 (see alsoFIG. 2). It is noted that SCADA/control logic204 is associated withHMI204, which may provide an operator interface for controlling drillingrig control system500. Elements depicted in drillingrig control system500 may also represent model objects, or categories of model objects, that are used to implement a state model of a drilling rig (see alsoFIG. 7).

InFIG. 5, mud pumps520 may represent equipment for pumping drilling mud into the wellbore and may generate control signals and sensor interfaces using PLC510-2.Catwalks522 may represent equipment for positioning ramps and platforms for providing drill string tools to and from the drilling floor and may generate control signals and sensor interfaces using PLC510-3.Top drive524 may represent equipment for providing rotation and circulation at the top of the drill string and may generate control signals and sensor interfaces using PLC510-4. Pipe handling526 may represent equipment for managing drill pipe supply and may generate control signals and sensor interfaces using PLC510-5.Crane528 may represent equipment for controlling overhead lifting machines and gantries and may generate control signals and sensor interfaces using PLC510-6. Slips andelevators530 may represent equipment for lifting and lowering drill pipe and may generate control signals and sensor interfaces using PLC510-7.

Turning now toFIG. 6, a block diagram of selected elements of an embodiment ofdrilling rig600 is depicted. As shown,drilling rig600 may represent a particular design or implementation that includes a given collection of components. The components, or elements, included in a particular implementation ofdrilling rig600 may be represented by model objects in a state model, which can be used to simulate operational conditions and implement test scenarios, such asvirtual test scenarios218, as described above with respect toFIG. 2. Thus, a particular implementation ofdrilling rig600 may represent a reference design, an actual design, or a new design. A reference design may describe a known configuration or implementation ofdrilling rig600, and may not be physically embodied. An actual design may describe an actual physical implementation ofdrilling rig600. A new design may describe a modified actual or reference design, for example, using virtual equipment that has been added to the state model using model objects that can represent real or virtual elements. It is therefore noted thatdrilling rig600, as shown inFIG. 6, is an exemplary embodiment shown for descriptive purposes.

Indrilling rig600,derrick602 may represent a hollow pyramidal frustum structure that is comprised of steel beams and members and supports various other drilling equipment. As shown,derrick602 may be supported by (or built on top of)drilling base618 while being capped bycrown block604 at a top portion. In different embodiments,drilling base618 may be anchored into the ground or may be a structural element in a larger piece of equipment, such as a semi-submersible drilling platform. Crown block604 may supporttop drive606, which may be configured to be raised or lowered relative to crownblock604.Top drive606 may provide rotation and/or circulation todrill string608 which passes through rotary table610 before continuing down the wellbore (not shown inFIG. 6).Iron roughneck612 may represent equipment for clamping and supportingdrill string608 to enable drilling operations, such as adding drill pipe or performing other tasks ondrill string608.

With this relatively simplistic description of elements included indrilling rig600, the concept of zones and zone management may be demonstrated. A zone may represent a certain area or location where equipment and workers perform tasks. A zone management system may refer to physical and electronic systems that ensure that no collisions or safety breaches occur by equipment in the zone. A zone management system is therefore a precautionary safety system designed to prevent failures and faults from occurring. For example, one zone may be at a surface of drilling base618 (i.e., the drilling floor), where rotary table610,drill string608 andiron roughneck612 all operate. In one embodiment, a zone management system implemented withdrilling rig600 at the drilling floor may preventiron roughneck612 from engaging unless certain conditions are satisfied, for example, only whentop drive606 is not supplying rotary power to drillstring608. Various zones and conditions for zones may be implemented withdrilling rig600 and also with a state model describing a particular implementation ofdrilling rig600.

Also shown withdrilling rig600 inFIG. 6 isPLC614, which may provide sensor interfaces to sensors624 and providereal signals620 that are made visible tooperator630 atdrilling rig HMI616. For clarity of description,PLC614 is shown as a single unit without ancillary interfaces, but it will be understood thatPLC614 may represent a network of PLCs or other controllers (see alsoFIG. 5) that are integrated within the component elements ofdrilling rig600. Actual sensors included indrilling rig600 include drill floor sensor624-1, drill string sensor624-2, top drive sensor624-3, crown block sensor624-4, and iron roughneck sensor624-5. Sensors624 may represent any of various types of sensors for detecting position, movement, rotation, proximity, etc. and may be analog or digital or a combination thereof.

In operation of drillingrig testing system220 withdrilling rig600, sensors624 may provide only limited test coverage, that is, may enable testing of a limited number of operational states and/or zone conditions, while leaving many potential operation states and real-life situations untested.Drilling rig600 may be used as an actual design for implementation in a state model, using model objects to describe elements included withindrilling rig600, including sensors624. Then, virtual sensors626 may be added to the state model using model objects. As shown inFIG. 6, virtual sensors may include rotary table sensor626-1, drill string sensors626-2,626-3, and top drive sensor626-4. Virtual sensors626 may provide additional information and enable more operational states to be simulated in the state model. Then, virtual sensors626 may be implemented indrilling rig HMI616, wherebyPLC614 may be configured to generatevirtual signals622 that are real signals representing virtual sensors626. In this manner, a greater number of operational states ofdrilling rig600 may be tested.

Turning now toFIG. 7, selected elements of an embodiment ofstate model700 representing operational states of drillingrig test system220 are shown in diagram form. A state model, also known as a finite state machine, a finite-state automaton or simply, a state machine, is a mathematical abstraction that may be used to design digital logic or computer executable algorithms. A state model represents a behavior model comprised of a finite number of states, transitions between those states, and actions, similar to a flow graph, which is used to visualize logic flow when certain conditions are met. A state model may be implemented with finite internal memory, an input feature that reads symbols in a sequence, and an output feature, which may be in the form of a user interface. The operation of a state model begins from one given state (sometimes referred to as a start state), goes through transitions depending on input to different states and may end in any of those available. In certain embodiments, a certain set of states mark a successful flow of operation of the state model.

InFIG. 7,state model700, as shown, is an exemplary embodiment representing top-level functionality of drillingrig test system220 for greater descriptive clarity. It is noted that individual elements shown instate model700 may represent further internal state models (not shown inFIG. 7) that may be hierarchically organized. Also,state model700 may employ model objects (not shown inFIG. 7) representing real and/or virtual equipment used in a drilling rig. Thus, in various embodiments,state model700 may include more complexity and features to describe different aspects and details of operating a drilling rig.

InFIG. 7, a start state is represented byidle state702, from which all other states originate. Duringidle state702, it may be assumed that the drilling rig is not operational and may further be powered down, either partially or wholly. As shown inFIG. 7, forward actions722 represent activation or engagement of operational activities, while reverse actions724 represent deactivation or cessation of operational activities. Both forward actions722 and reverse actions724 represent controlled state transitions during normal and expected operation of the drilling rig. Fault actions726 are state transitions associated withfailure state718, representing a failure of a certain component or sub-system that results inidle state702 via fault action726-5. Fromidle state702, forward action722-1 may be taken to reachinitialize state704, during which elements in the drilling rig may be prepared for operation, for example, as an automated start-up sequence. After initializestate704 has been successfully completed,ready state706 is attained via forward action722-2. When initializestate704 is not successfully completed,ready state706 may provide an indication of whyinitialize state704 was not completed and then return toidle state702 via reverse action724-7.

Fromready state706, when the drilling rig is activated and in control of an operator, inuse state708 is reached by forward action722-3. When the operator deactivates the drilling rig, inuse state708 may transition back toready state706 by reverse action724-6. The remaining operational states may be concurrently active with inuse state708, even though one particular state may be currently active. When an alarm is detected, forward action722-8 results inalarm state720 being activated, while reverse action724-5 may represent clearing of a previous alarm and return to in use state708 (or simply deactivation of alarm state720). Whenalarm state720 is reached due to equipment failure, fault action726-4 may lead fromalarm state720 tofailure state718 and result in deactivation of any other active states. As shown instate model700, manual and batch operation may be performed from inuse state708, as will now be described in further detail.

InFIG. 7, from inuse state708, forward action722-4 may activateoperator control state710, which represents manual control of the drilling rig by the operator. Inoperator control state710, the operator may be permitted to perform various actions and directly control drilling rig equipment.Operator control state710 may be terminated by reverse action724-2 in a controlled manner or by fault action726-1 when an equipment failure occurs. Also from inuse state708, forward action722-5 may activatebatch lock state712, which represents batch operation of the drilling rig, in which sequences of operations (i.e., batches) may be initiated in full automatic or semi-automatic manner. The operations specified in the batch may correspond to manual operations performed by the operator inoperator control state710. Inbatch lock state712, the drilling rig may be prepared for automatic operations, while manual controls may be deactivated.Batch lock state712 may remain active during batch operations. Frombatch lock state712, forward action722-6 may activatebatch auto state714, during which an automated batch operation may be executed and then return tobatch lock state712 via return action724-1. Also frombatch lock state712, forward action722-7 may activate batch manual716, during which the operator may initiate one or more batch operations before returning tobatch lock712 via return action724-3.Batch lock state712 may be released (i.e., deactivated) by return action724-4 back to inuse state708. When an equipment failure occurs duringbatch auto state714, fault action726-2 may lead tofailure state718, while fault action726-3 may result when an equipment failure occurs during batchmanual state716.

As mentioned previously,state model700 is an exemplary embodiment that can be used for virtualization of operational states of a particular design of a drilling rig. An important use ofstate model700 is when different particular embodiments are implemented in parallel and then compared against one another to reveal differences. For example, two actual drilling rigs may be compared against one another using their respective state models. The comparison may include analysis of failure states and alarm conditions. An actual drilling rig may be compared to a reference drilling rig that is known to have certain properties and features, such as a high level of operational safety, using their respective state models. A state model of an actual drilling rig may be modified, for example, by adding virtual components not physically present in the actual drilling rig. The modified state model can then be compared to the original state model. Based on these different state models and analyses of the comparisons between state models, specific, targeted modifications to the actual drilling rig may be made that are know to improve operation, for example, by eliminating or preventing failure states that would otherwise be attainable. For operational testing, virtual elements selected by comparison of different state models may be implemented in an actual drilling rig test system, for example, as a piece of virtual equipment (see alsoFIG. 3) in a test system controller, and then used for testing operational states. It is noted that the processes using state models described above may be repeated in an iterative and/or heuristic manner to arrive or converge at desired results.

Turning now toFIG. 8, an embodiment ofnovel method800 for performing operational testing of a drilling rig, as described herein, is illustrated in flow chart form. In one embodiment,method800 is performed by test system controller226 (seeFIG. 2). It is noted that certain operations described inmethod800 may be optional or may be rearranged in different embodiments.

Method800 may begin by generating (operation802) a first state model of a drilling rig control system based on an actual design of a drilling rig. The actual design may, for example, describe an implementation of a physically constructed drilling rig. Then, a second state model of the drilling rig control system may be generated (operation804) based on a reference design of a reference drilling rig. The reference drilling rig may be another physically constructed drilling rig or a reference model of a drilling rig. A reference comparison of the first state model to the second state model may be generated (operation806). Using the reference comparison, failure states may be determined (operation808) that are attainable by the drilling rig control system. Then, a third state model of the drilling rig control system may be generated (operation810) that is based on a virtual design of the drilling rig, including the first state model. The virtual design may include virtual equipment and respective model objects. A virtual fault may be introduced (operation812) in the first state model. The virtual fault may be an alarm condition and/or a failure state of a model object. Then, the first state model may be monitored (operation814) for an alarm generated in response to the virtual fault. Finally, virtualized equipment may be added (operation816) to the third state model that prevents the virtual fault from occurring. Based on the modified third state model inoperation816, virtual and/or real equipment may be added to the drilling rig control system.

Turning now toFIG. 9, an embodiment ofnovel method900 for performing operational testing of a drilling rig, as described herein, is illustrated in flow chart form. In one embodiment,method900 is performed by test system controller226 (seeFIG. 2). It is noted that certain operations described inmethod900 may be optional or may be rearranged in different embodiments.

Method900 may begin by comparing (operation902) an actual design of a drilling rig with a reference design of a reference drilling rig. A state model for the drilling rig may be generated (operation904) that includes stimulus-response logic representing behavior of actual drilling rig elements. Based on compare results, a failure state of the drilling rig may be determined (operation906) that is attainable by a drilling rig control system configured to control the drilling rig. Based on an analysis of the failure state, a virtual design for the drilling rig may be generated (operation908) that includes virtual drilling rig elements not present in the actual design. The virtual design may eliminate the failure state.

To the maximum extent allowed by law, the scope of the present disclosure is to be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the above noted claims and the following claims and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited to the specific embodiments described in the foregoing detailed description.

Claims (19)

What is claimed is:

1. A method for analyzing a drilling rig, comprising:

generating a first finite state machine of a drilling rig control system based on an actual design of the drilling rig, wherein the first finite state machine includes model objects representing drilling rig elements;

generating a reference comparison of the first finite state machine to a second finite state machine of the drilling rig control system based on a reference design of a reference drilling rig, wherein the second finite state machine includes the model objects;

determining by a computer, from the first finite state machine, failure states of the drilling rig that are attainable by the drilling rig control system; and

using the reference comparison for determining the failure states, wherein the failure states are indicative of items selected from a group consisting of new alarms and equipment failure states in the drilling rig control system.

2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the model objects are obtained from an object library of drilling rig elements.

3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein a model object includes stimulus-response logic for interacting with other model objects in the first finite state machine.

4. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising:

generating a third finite state machine of the drilling rig control system based on a virtual design of the drilling rig, wherein the virtual design includes virtualized equipment for the drilling rig, and wherein the third finite state machine includes the model objects, including model objects representing the virtualized equipment.

5. The method ofclaim 4, wherein the third finite state machine includes the first finite state machine.

6. The method ofclaim 4, wherein the virtualized equipment is configured to prevent a failure state of the drilling rig in the third finite state machine.

7. The method ofclaim 4, further comprising:

introducing a virtual fault in the first finite state machine; and

monitoring the first finite state machine for an alarm generated in response to the virtual fault.

8. The method ofclaim 7, further comprising:

based on the alarm, adding a first virtualized equipment to the virtual design, wherein the first virtualized equipment prevents the virtual fault from occurring in the third finite state machine.

9. The method ofclaim 8, wherein a model object representing the first virtualized equipment is selected from a list consisting of model objects representing: a sensor, an actuator, a control element, a signal processing element, and an interface element.

10. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising:

based on an analysis of the third finite state machine, determining that an actual instance of the first virtualized equipment prevents a failure state in the actual design of the drilling rig.

11. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising:

adding the first virtualized equipment to the drilling rig control system, wherein a model object representing the first virtualized equipment is used to generate output signals that are monitored by physical inputs to the drilling rig control system.

12. Non-transitory computer readable media for analyzing a drilling rig, including processor executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

generating a finite state machine for the drilling rig, including stimulus-response logic representing behavior of drilling rig elements;

generating a reference comparison of an actual design of the drilling rig with a reference design of a reference drilling rig; and

using the reference comparison, determining a failure state of the drilling rig that is attainable by a drilling rig control system configured to control the drilling rig, wherein the failure state is indicative of an item selected from a group consisting of a new alarm and an equipment failure state in the drilling rig control system.

13. The non-transitory computer readable media ofclaim 12, wherein the reference design is based on an object library of virtual drilling rig elements representing actual drilling rig elements.

14. The non-transitory computer readable media ofclaim 12, wherein the finite state machine represents actual drilling rig elements and virtual drilling rig elements.

15. The non-transitory computer readable media ofclaim 12, wherein the drilling rig includes a zone management system configured to prevent physical collisions of drilling rig elements.

16. The non-transitory computer readable media ofclaim 15, wherein the failure state includes collisions that are attainable by the zone management system.

17. The non-transitory computer readable media ofclaim 12, wherein the operations include operations for:

based on an analysis of the failure state, generating a virtual design for the drilling rig, wherein the virtual design includes virtual drilling rig elements not present in the actual design.

18. The non-transitory computer readable media ofclaim 17, wherein the virtual design is configured to eliminate the failure state.

19. A computer system for analyzing a drilling rig, comprising:

a processor; and

memory media accessible to the processor, the memory media including processor executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

generating a reference comparison of an actual design of the drilling rig with a reference design of a reference drilling rig, wherein the reference design is based on an object library of virtual drilling rig elements representing actual drilling rig elements;

using the reference comparison, determining a failure state of the drilling rig that is attainable by a drilling rig control system configured to control the drilling rig and wherein the failure state is indicative of an item selected from a group consisting of a new alarm and an equipment failure state in the drilling rig control system;

generating a finite state machine for the drilling rig, the finite state machine including stimulus-response logic representing behavior of drilling rig elements; and

based on an analysis of the failure state, generating a virtual design for the drilling rig, wherein the virtual design includes virtual drilling rig elements not present in the actual design, wherein the virtual design is configured to eliminate the failure state.

Images